3 killed, 3 critically injured in Washington state landslide

By Greg Botelho and Janet DiGiacomo, CNN

Updated 3:22 AM ET, Sun March 23, 2014

Photos: Washington state landslide41 photos

Washington state landslide – President Obama speaks to first responders, recovery workers and community members on Tuesday, April 22, at the scene of the deadly landslide that devastated Oso, Washington, one month before. The landslide crossed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and caused multiple deaths and massive damage.

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Washington state landslide – An excavator clears a drainage channel on Wednesday, April 2.

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Washington state landslide – This satellite image taken on Monday, March 31, shows the path of the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – Workers cut a tree next to a possible victim on Sunday, March 30.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue teams use a path of plywood to walk through a muddy field in Arlington, Washington, on March 30.

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Washington state landslide – Tryon, a rescue dog muddied from the day's work, stands with his handler March 30 near the west side of the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – Rescue workers dig through mud and debris near Darrington, Washington, on Saturday, March 29.

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Washington state landslide – Mailboxes are seen in floodwater March 29 near Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Searchers in Oso pause for a moment of silence on Saturday, March 29. It was observed at 10:37 a.m., exactly one week after the landslide tore through the small community.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue personnel attend a moment of silence at the fire house in Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Ralph Jones helps provide shelter for Brooke Odenius, right, Klarissa Calviste and their baby daughters during the moment of silence at the fire house in Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Staff Sgt. Jonathon Hernas of the Air National Guard carefully makes his way across debris and mud while searching for missing people March 29 in Oso.

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Washington state landslide – Air National Guard members look out at the hill where the landslide originated while they search through debris March 29 in Oso.

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Washington state landslide – Heavy machinery is used to move debris as members of the Air National Guard search for victims on March 29.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers wade through water covering a highway near Darrington on Thursday, March 27. The landslide left buildings covered in up to 40 feet of mud.

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Washington state landslide – A searcher walks near a massive pile of debris in Oso on March 27.

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Washington state landslide – The muddied waters of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River mix with the cleaner flow of the river's South Fork on March 27.

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Washington state landslide – Emergency vehicles fill State Route 530 leading to the scene of the landslide in Oso on Wednesday, March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks on the phone with a victim's family member as he flies to the Snohomish County Emergency Operations Center in Everett on March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers look through debris on March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Teresa Welter cries during a candlelight vigil in Arlington on Tuesday, March 25.

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Washington state landslide – The roof of a house sits among debris as emergency personnel continue to look for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers use dogs to look for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – A boot is found among the debris on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – A search-and-rescue worker looks for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – Chaplains watch as crews clear debris from State Route 530 in Oso on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – The remains of the massive landslide are seen on Monday, March 24. The landslide blocked the highway and the Stillaguamish River.

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Washington state landslide – A King County Sheriff's Office helicopter lowers a rescue worker on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – A search-and-rescue team carries the body of a victim on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Volunteers help out with the search in Oso on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Snohomish County Executive John Lovick wipes a tear during a briefing in downtown Arlington on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Natalie Reed, right, and her 5-year-old daughter, Deja, attend a prayer service at Arlington United Church on March 24 for those affected by the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – An intact house sits at the edge of the landslide on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – The Langston family watches an online news clip about the landslide on Sunday, March 23, while they stay at a temporary Red Cross shelter in Darrington. The family's home was flooded after the landslide blocked the Stillaguamish River.

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Washington state landslide – A destroyed home is stranded atop mud and debris on State Route 530 near Oso on March 23.

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Washington state landslide – Downed power lines and parts of a destroyed house can be seen in the debris blocking the road near Oso on March 23.

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Washington state landslide – Gov. Jay Inslee, right, comforts Barbara Welsh after a news conference March 23 outside the Arlington Police Department. Welsh's husband, Bill, was among the scores of people listed as missing immediately after the disaster.

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Washington state landslide – Emergency workers arrive at the scene of the landslide on Saturday, March 22.

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Washington state landslide – Groundwater saturation, tied to heavy rainfall in the area over the past month, was blamed for the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – The landslide cut off the small town of Darrington and prompted an evacuation notice for fear of a potentially "catastrophic flood event," authorities said.

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Washington state landslide – The first Washington State Patrol trooper arrives on the scene on March 22, according to the patrol's Twitter feed.

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Story highlights

5 airlifted to one Seattle hospital, including a baby and 2 men in critical condition

Floodwaters and trees close a portion of State Road 530

At least 6 homes are destroyed; the road and a river are blocked

Locals are urged to evacuate for fear of a "catastrophic flood event"

[Breaking news update, Sunday, 3:20 a.m.]

People were crying out for help from underneath debris early Sunday after a landslide in Washington state, said City of Arlington fire Capt. Brandon Asher. Rescuers are trying to forge through the wreckage to get to them.

[Original story, Saturday, 11:49 pm.]

3 killed, 3 critically injured in Washington state landslide

(CNN) -- A devastating landslide Saturday killed three people, cut off a small town and a river and prompted an evacuation notice for fear of a potentially "catastrophic flood event," authorities in Washington state said.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said, in addition to those dead, seven adults and a 6-month-old boy were rescued and sent to local hospitals.

One of those hospitals, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, reported that five patients had been airlifted there and were in its care. Three of those -- including the baby, a 58-year-old man and an 81-year-old man -- were in critical condition Saturday night, according to spokeswoman Susan Gregg.

At least six houses were destroyed in the landslide, though the sheriff's office noted they are still assessing exactly how many structures have been affected.

The first reports of the landslide came in around 10:45 a.m. (1:45 p.m. ET) along State Road 530, the sheriff's office said.

Photos provided by the Washington State Patrol show floodwaters and sprawling debris covering a rural patch of that two-lane road, framed by woodlands and snow-capped mountains.

CNN first learned of the landslide via Twitter.

Groundwater saturation tied to heavy rainfall in the area over the past month was blamed for the landslide, which authorities say measured at least 45 yards wide.

Because it blocked SR 530, the landslide cut off Darrington, a town of about 1,350 people located 75 miles northeast of Seattle and within close proximity to Round Mountain, Whitehorse Mountain and White Chuck Mountain. Part of the Stillaguamish River also was blocked.

Residents got reverse 911 calls warning them of "flooding upstream from the slide, as well as the possibility of a downstream flooding should there be a catastrophic breach by the river," said Shari Ireton, a sheriff's spokeswoman.

The county later said "we strongly recommend" that those living in the north fork of the Stillaguamish River flood plain, from Oso to Stanwood, to "evacuate your home immediately."

"We are working on establishing shelters for those who have nowhere to go," county spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said in a statement. "Until then, people should get to higher ground as soon as possible.

"Nightfall is approaching, and we do not want to take any chances."

Gov. Jay Inslee expressed dismay later Saturday about the "tragedy in Oso," the remote community of about 180 people 15 miles west of Darrington.

"On behalf of all Washingtonians, my condolences to the families who lost loved ones in (the) mudslide today," Inslee tweeted.

A number of agencies have responded, including the state transportation and emergency management departments, the U.S. Navy and fire departments across Snohomish County.

Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters and state troopers heard calls for help, trooper Mark Francis said.

The Snohomish sheriff warned people to stay clear of trestles or bridges or anywhere near the Stillaguamish River downstream of the slide.